Ryan Madson is finally turning the corner as the future closer for the Phillies. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

2010 was a rough year for Ryan Madson. He had five blown saves in ten opportunities; he had blown his first shot at being a closer in the league, and had broken his toe by kicking a chair in frustration.

To add insult to injury, Charlie Manuel assigned Jose Contreras as the closer over Madson before this season when Brad Lidge went on the DL.

The media suggested that Madson did not have the “closer’s mentality” necessary to be a closer in the league, which is why Manuel picked Contreras instead of Madson.

The 2011 season has been a complete turnaround for Madson. In just the month of May, he already has just as many saves (5) as he did last year. He has a WHIP of .93 and an even lower ERA (.60). He has 18 strikeouts in 15 innings pitched, and he has given up one run so far this season on just nine hits. Read more of this post

…Even though I’m currently a blogger, I kinda hope for the latter as it’s heart breaking seeing someone close to the organization have the following sentiments.

Sarah Madson, the wife of Phillies set-up man Ryan Madson, was quoted to saying she hates Philly fans by a blogger named Laura Goldman on Goldman’s blog titled “Naked Philadelphian.”

“I hate the fans. It is bad enough that they bother us during the season, but they will not leave us alone in December when we go out to eat. We stayed here during the off season last year, but we will be going to California this year. There must be something particularly bad about Phillies fans because all the players leave in the off season.”

If those are really words spoken from Sarah, then I’m honestly confused. Her husband is a fan-favorite and despite failing as a closer numerous times, is on a lot of people’s lists to replace Brad Lidge. Why should would have any malice towards the same people who support her husband is beyond me.

But before you burn Sarah at the stake for being a witch, you might want to make sure you have the right person. Kyle Scott of “Crossing Broad” did some detective work – and some damn good journalism too.

Goldman is also on probation. She was extradited from Israel in 2009, after nine years on the run.

I’ll spare you the gory details, but back in 1995, Goldman, who was working in Philadelphia as a stockbroker, accused Boston billionaire Thomas Lee of sexual harassment. She then stalked him for five years and threatened his son.

“Eleven months later, when he missed a dinner date with her, she turned into a “Fatal Attraction” type who went from hang-up calls to demands for money, to death threats, and even a false charge of rape.

But the 15-year nightmare is finally over. Goldman, who fled to Israel in 2000 to avoid prosecution, was extradited to the US eight months ago to face an 18-count indictment, the Boston Globe reports.”

Goldman pled guilty to two counts of extortion and was sentenced to five years probation. She is not allowed in certain parts of New York, Florida, and Massachusetts. These are all facts.

Scott’s blog post also mentions that the arrest occurred eight years ago.

In an e-mail with TTB, Goldman released this statement: “I stand by story. The Phillies or the Madsons did not refute what I wrote. It is wrong to discredit me for a case from 8 years ago. It is in the past.”

So Goldman is either lying or Sarah Madson really does not like the fans in Philadelphia.

Philly.com did a follow-up to CB and Deadspin’s work. They got a statement released from the Madson’s, the Phillies and Goldman herself. Here are their statements:

Madson spokesperson

“Ryan and Sarah enjoy playing in Philadelphia and have a great fondness for the city and the fans. They both look forward to a successful 2011 season.”

The Phillies

“Sarah did not consent to an interview, but rather was approached by Ms. Goldman, who did not identify herself as a reporter. She began to ask many personal questions about the life of a wife of a professional baseball player. The comments reported by Ms. Goldman were taken completely out of context, and as a result, Sarah is extremely upset and feels violated by the situation. Sarah says, “For every one fan that may upset us, there are 99 Phillies fans that we love. We have lived here for years, have many friends, neighbors and acquaintances — who also happen to be Phillies fans — for whom we have the utmost respect. The Madsons would like to dispel this misleading information which indicates that they have anything but admiration for the fans in Philadelphia.”

Goldman

“The Phillies on behalf of Ryan and Sarah Madson have issued a response to my blog post. They did not refute that Sarah Madson said the comments that I reported.

They falsely allege that I did not identify myself as a reporter. That is just not true. I identified myself as a reporter several times and even Ryan and Sarah Madson for a joint interview after my conversation with Sarah.

As far as the false allegation that I took things out of context, Sarah was pretty clear on her hate for the fans. It was not possible to misconstrue.